Make mainframes, not war: how Mad Men sold computers in the 1960s and 1970s
Celebs, comics, and—at times—computing itself helped sell the young technology.
Feature: 1859′s “Great Auroral Storm”—the week the Sun touched the earth
Noon approached on September 1, 1859, and British astronomer Richard Christopher Carrington was busy with his favorite pastime: tracking sunspots, those huge regions of the star darkened by shifts in its...
1859′s "Great Auroral Storm"—the week the Sun touched the earth
Accounts of the largest electromagnetic storm ever recorded.
Copy protection means some DirecTV subs will need new gear to watch HBO
Looks like some DirecTV subscribers are going to be scrambling over the next few months to watch their shows. HDCP copy protection technology seems to be the culprit. Over the last few days,...
Feature: Electric ladyland: when battery-powered cars were built for women
In 1907, technology futurist Carl H. Claudy held forth on the electric car in the pages of Motor magazine. The vehicle, Claudy enthused, does "more work, in certain lines, than horses ever...
Hollywood’s Selectable Output Control: has it gone from FUD to dud?
One year and eleven months ago, the Federal Communications Commission made a decision that Hollywood hailed as a huge breakthrough and reform groups called a setback for consumer rights. The FCC...
White House IP czar: anti-piracy laws should not block free speech
The White House's Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement is out, and there are some encouraging words in the 130-page document. The policy compendium reiterates what the Obama Administration declared in...
Rush Limbaugh and the revenge of old media
The great slugfest over Rush Limbaugh's infamous "slut" comment against law student Sandra Fluke has come and mostly gone. For anyone who has been in a coma over the last fortnight,...
Predator or prey? Charter cuts Internet prices to compete with city-owned network
One of the benefits of living next to a municipal Internet Service Provider came into focus this month. Residents of Monticello, Minnesota found a hastily composed flyer in their mailboxes....
Level 3 protests Verizon, AT&T “lock-up” data connection deals
The great subscriber access war between Level 3 and Comcast has receded into the background, but Level 3 has plenty of other business before the Federal Communications Commission. Here's an issue...
